British girl’s beach-driving death recalls similar tragedy 22 years ago

DAYTONA BEACH — When a British girl was struck and killed by a car on the beach this month, the news was a painful reminder for Terry and Diane Hotard of their own beach-driving tragedy, nearly 22 years ago.

Like 4-year-old Ellie Bland, who died March 20, the Winter Park couple's 2-year-old son, nicknamed Lanny, was also hit and killed by a beach driver.

"Every time I hear about it, the pain resurrects itself," Terry Hotard said. "I feel for the family that lost that little girl."

"But we knew this would happen, and it's going to happen again and again," he said. "As long as you let cars go on the beach and let kids play on the beach, it's going to happen again and again."

Volusia officials have been reluctant to consider banning beach driving, citing the cost of off-beach parking or beach driving's status as a "tradition" that spawned the Daytona 500.

On Thursday, the County Council isn't scheduled to discuss the issue at its meeting, but Michael Barnes, a Stetson University English professor, has been urging people to attend to oppose beach driving.

"Playing and sunbathing by a busy road and in a parking lot will always be dangerous," he wrote in a flier he has been distributing.

Council member Carl Persis, whose district includes the beach, said he plans to talk about the issue. Persis said he doesn't oppose beach driving but thinks the county should establish more car-free zones.

First, he said, the county will need to scout out more off-beach parking, which is now very limited.

"You've got to have a place for the cars to be before you can take them off the beach," Persis said. "There are opportunities now to purchase land."

In the years since the Hotards' son died, more than 50 people have been injured in beach-driving collisions, and one woman was killed by a drunk driver. Little Ellie Louise Bland of Nottingham, England, was the first beachgoer killed since 1996.

The vacationing girl was walking hand in hand with her great-uncle when she was struck by a car. The driver, Barbara Worley, 66, of Elberton, Ga., stopped at first but apparently panicked and hit the accelerator, killing the girl, authorities said. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating, and traffic charges are pending.

A funeral home in England confirmed Tuesday with the Orlando Sentinel that it will meet with Ellie's family this morning to plan funeral arrangements.

In England, impromptu memorials of cuddly toys have been left near Ellie's family's home in Nottingham, and hundreds have joined a tribute page on Facebook, according to the British media.

British newspapers report that family members, through messages on the tribute page, have called for an end to beach driving. The family has been in touch with an Orlando attorney.

"I hope for the family of that little girl that they make a big stink and get cars off the beach," said Diane Hotard, talking to the Sentinel for the first time since her son's accident. "Maybe we need a lawsuit to stop it because nothing else has worked."

On Aug. 19, 1988, the mother was at New Smyrna Beach near the Flagler Avenue approach with her two young sons.

Her older son, Lanny, was 5 feet away as she was changing the diaper of her younger son. "If I was any closer, I would have been hit, too," she said.

She heard a scream and saw Lanny underneath a van and immediately pulled him out to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The driver, who authorities said was traveling less than the speed limit, was never charged.

"I lost my faith in them because they did nothing for my son," Diane Hotard said of Volusia County officials. The Hotards tried a few times to convince Daytona officials that beach driving should end, but they gave up in frustration.

"It's a losing battle," said Terry Hotard, a former Winter Park mayor and the city's current assistant utilities director. "You make your case, and it falls on deaf ears."

In the beach visits that followed through the years, the Hotards have seen too many other close calls between beachgoers and vehicles. They've seen too many drivers distracted as they cruise down the beach, or worse yet, drinking.

"I've walked on the beach and grabbed kids out of the way because I am more vigilant," Diane Hotard said.

When they hear about another accident, it only reconfirms their conviction and reinforces their frustration.

"Every few years, there is a death or serious injury, and I blame it on Volusia County," she said. "How often does this have to happen? It's just stupid."

Rachel Jackson of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Ludmilla Lelis can be reached at llelis@orlandosentinel.com or 386-253-0964.

Four-year-old Ellie Louise Bland was doing what most any little girl would do during a glorious day at Daytona Beach this past Saturday — dashing here and there, playing with her family and soaking in the sunshine and salt air.

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